


Focus

by YumeArashi



Category: Assassin's Creed
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Kink Meme
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-23
Updated: 2013-01-23
Packaged: 2017-11-26 14:28:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/651343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YumeArashi/pseuds/YumeArashi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ezio gets it in his head to play keep-away with Leonardo's beloved hat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Focus

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [untitled black and white sketch](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/16048) by Manic Intent. 



> Set during Assassin's Creed II. Inspired by this kinkmeme prompt: http://forkinsocket.livejournal.com/16841.html?thread=319945#t319945

The knock on Leonardo’s door was answered with a faint ‘Come in,’, and Ezio let himself in to find his friend working intently on a large painting.  “Ah, Ezio,” Leonardo greeted him distractedly.  “Do you have a moment?  I’m almost done.”

If there was a small part of Ezio that was a little hurt at the lack of the usual enthusiastic smile and warm welcome, he pushed it aside.  “Si, I am between missions.  No need to rush.”

“Bene.  Make yourself at home, feel free to check the kitchen if you’re hungry,” the artist answered distantly.

“Thank you.“  Ezio nodded.  He received no reply; Leonardo was already once more wholly absorbed in his work.  Having seen the older man at work before, Ezio was honestly a bit surprised that he had even noticed the assassin come in.  For all Leonardo’s usually ability to focus on a dozen different things at any given time, when inspiration came to him he could be utterly single minded.

Knowing that Leonardo was likely to be preoccupied with his muses for some time, Ezio settled on a nearby couch to nap.  With his irregular hours, it was always better to sleep when and where he could, and Leonardo’s workshop was one of the few where he felt safe enough to do so.

*****

Some hours later, he awoke to find Leonardo still in the exact same position.  His brush hovered over the canvas uncertainly, and he was frowning intensely at the painting.  “Have you stepped away from that painting once in all this time?” he asked incredulously.

“I need to figure out what’s wrong with this.  Something’s not quite right, and I can’t put my finger on it,” he muttered. 

Ezio wasn’t sure if that was intended as an answer, but it was confirmation enough.  “Have you eaten anything at all today?” he demanded.

“I had some fruit at breakfast.” Leonardo was beginning to sound a bit impatient.

Ezio contemplated the frustrated artist for a moment before a sudden, wicked grin lit up his face.  Striding over, he snatched the beloved red hat from Leonardo’s head and put it on his own, drawing a started exclamation.

“Ezio!  Give that back!”

Ezio’s grin widened and he took a few steps back.  “No, I don’t think I shall.”

Leonardo stood with a scowl to come after him, and Ezio laughed, dancing easily away and hopping up onto the stool Leonardo had been using, keeping the cherished item firmly out of reach.

“You are insufferable,” the artist told him irritably.

“Si, si,” Ezio agreed cheerfully.  It was rare to see Leonardo so grumpy about anything, particularly anything Ezio had said or done to tease him.  Usually, any such attempts were met with a good-natured smile and a witty comment that more often than not turned the tables.  This, Ezio decided, was great fun.

After a few futile attempts to retrieve the hat, Leonardo folded his arms over his chest.  “Since you seem determined to act like a child, I shall wait for you to decide to stop being a brat and return my belongings to me.”

“Oh, but where’s the fun in that?  I think I look good in it, don’t you?”

If there was a small part of Leonardo that rather agreed, he pushed it aside.  “You look ridiculous, and I refuse to compromise my dignity by chasing after you any further.”

“It is a good thing that I do not mind looking ridiculous occasionally, then,” Ezio said cheerfully.  Leonardo looked very different himself without the ubiquitous red cap.  Despite the long hours under the hat, the tawny hair looked silky and soft, and Ezio was struck by a sudden mad impulse to run his hands through it.  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you bare-headed.”

Leonardo’s frown deepened.  “A lot of people stare because my hair is so light, it’s uncommon this far south.”

“People would stare at you regardless, you are too striking for them not to.  Just like me,” he grinned.

The frown deepened to a scowl.  “You are an idiot, and you’ve broken my concentration,” he complained.

“Your concentration needed breaking.  How long were you just sitting there staring without getting anything even done?” Ezio countered.  “When you are stuck, you should walk away and come back to it with a fresh eye.”  It was a strategy he himself had often employed when planning out a hunt for a particularly difficult target.  Leonardo merely hmphed, not wanting to admit that perhaps Ezio had a point.  “Besides, artists need to eat just like the rest of us, even if you hadn’t noticed that.”

Leonardo opened his mouth to assert that he was perfectly fine, thank you, when his stomach contradicted that loudly.  He reddened, but Ezio merely laughed.  Hopping down from the stool, he set the hat back on Leonardo’s head, unable to resist the urge to tuck a lock of the fine hair behind Leonardo’s ear.  “Come, let’s get you something to eat and then I’ll let you get back to your work.”


End file.
